Alternate Univese: Secret of the Shadows
by Tatooinedweller
Summary: Finally, posted in its entirety. Suppose the New Republic never took hold. Suppose Luke Skywalker didn't want a Jedi Acadamy. Suppose there were a couple of ambitious men in the remains of the Empire. Suppose a girl hid a dark secret...
1. Default Chapter

Prologue  
Forget everything you ever read in the Expanded Universe books. Now, It has been approximately three years since Luke Skywalker, last of the old Jedi Knights and first of the new. The hated and oppressive Emperor Palpatine is dead and gone (no clones!). Now lets review the basics. Darth Vader, Sith Lord and Luke Skywalker's father, was redeemed back to the light side of the Force by his son, who refused Palpatine's offer to turn to the Dark Side of the Force (giving in to anger and hate, for those of you who don't already know that). He's dead now, so that doesn't matter, just reminding you that it's probably still a touchy subject for our unfortunate hero (hey, wouldn't you be scarred for life if you found out your long lost father was a Congressman? Sorry, didn't mean to scare you, just trying to get some relating in here). Anyway. There are many who would LOVE the job of Emperor, but the highest-ups, Ranash and Vespash, aren't going for simply anyone. They are searching for someone in particular, but there aren't even any believable rumors as to who. So while all the warlords, evil organizatioins, etc. lick their wounds from the fall of the Emperor, all the governments slowly collapse into chaos (like they weren't chaotic already).   
  
NOTE: Keep in mind that this was written mainly before Ep I came out, and I had the idea before I knew much about Star Wars or had read ANY expanded universe. Any name, situation, etc., that is the same as in published SW stuff is entirly coincidental. Ex: Shadow Chaser is the name of a ship in the Exp Universe, but I didn't realize this until later, and the name fits too well to change it.  
  
  
It was a blistering hot day on the slave farm of Sermithia. Each slave had a job to do. Jessi Hamilton, Namuhu Artanik, and Lethia To'othu were gathering the tolani plants for weaving. Jessi squinted in the bright sunlight as she walked towards the fields with her fiends. She was a female human of about 11 years of age, sturdily built, and had fair skin. She wore her long blond hair in a ponytail tied up by a rag, and wore the same clothes all the rest of the slaves wore: a one-piece white garment tied at the waist. Namuhu was the eldest of the three, a human around 18, with long dark hair and light brown skin. Lethia was around the same age as Jessi. She was a humanoid or unknown origin with long, braided, orange-brown hair and light blue skin.  
The girls did not talk as their bare feet moved them silently away through the open area where the slaves ate breakfast, kicking up clouds of dust rising and lodging in throats and cloathing on this dry day. They walked side-by-side, large, crude, woven tolani baskets in hand, the tall tan stalks of the tolani plants growing ever closer. Upon entering the field, Namuhu parted the ridged cylindrical vegetation aside and led them into a stiff sea of tan that swallowed them from view. They knew this quite well and used it to their full advantage, glad that brighter dye was not used in thier clothing. Each paused, eyes and ears straining for signs of other slaves or overseers. Namuhu nodded, and they sat in the dust among the plants.  
Jessi grabbed a few stalks and began the process of stripping the coarse outer layer off the flexible core, her sharp gray-blue eyes on the lookout for intruders. Namuhu and Lethia did the same.  
"It will be hot today," Namuhu observed in her soft voice.   
"It's always hot here," retorted Jessi with a grim laugh.  
Lethia sighed. "Tell us a story Namuhu."  
Namuhu glanced around, and then began. "Once Capulu told me this story." Capulu was the rebel soldier Namuhu had the honor of working with for a short time. "One time the Empire decided to build an invincible space station. They called it-"  
"The Death Star!" said Jessi, her eyes sparkling.  
"Uh, yes. Anyway, nothing could so much as dent this giant. It was the ultimate battle station. The rebel fleet did not seem to stand a chance. But they found a weak spot- a seemingly impossible to hit tunnel that led to the main reactor. They sent a fleet, of which most here destroyed before the run was finished. But one young pilot, Luke Skywalker" -cheers from Jessi and Lethia- "flew straight and true. He shot the torpedoes straight into the tunnel, blowing up the seemingly invincible battle station in one brilliant explosion. This is what Capulu told me. Believe it, for it is true."  
Jessi's gray-blue and Lethia's violet eyes shone with delight.  
"Wow," breathed Jessi. She stood up and held a stalk high in the air. "Someday…"  
Lethia rolled her eyes. "There she goes again…"  
"Someday I'm gonna fly away from this dump and I'm gonna be a famous pilot. And them I'm going to find this Luke Skywalker and travel with-"  
She was cut short by the crack of a whip.  
"That's five lashes, slave brat!" shouted the overseer. Jessi lowered her eyes and started to humbly get back to work. As soon as he left, however, she got up and rolled her eyes.  
"Oh big deal, five lashes."   
"Jessi," Namuhu pleaded, "we go through this nearly every day. The master looks down on us for this." Jessi sighed and bent back over her work.  
As sundown, all the slaves came back to the main section for dinner. The overseer had no trouble finding Jessi, who always showed up on time for lashings. Each slave was whipped in turn by being tied face down to a log and given the number of lashings he/she were to get. Sometimes more, if they did not grovel.   
Jessi bravely lay still on the log, and shot a grin at the crowd of on looking slaves. Some grinned back nervously, other scowled.  
They bound her hands and feet with coarse rope and tied them to the log. She waited, staring straight ahead. Then came the sting of the whip- one, two, three, four, five, six times. Her back burned intensely, and tears formed in the corners of her eyes. They released her and shoved her roughly aside. She quickly brushed away the tears as if she was swatting a fly. As she started to walk away something hit her shoulder. It was Let'cha, one of the meanest boys in the slave farm. He had short dark hair and his dark eyes stuck out on his pale green face. He had black lips and pointed teeth, giving him a menacing look. He enjoyed picking on Jessi and her friends.  
"How many did you get today, brat?" he snarled.   
"Less then you, bantha fodder," Jessi shot back.  
"Do you wanna fight, Hutt-brained nerfherder?"   
She looked at him, and at his cronies beside him, and clenched her fists. "Let's go. We'll see who the loser is."  
Just then the Master came out and blew the horn. "All right, all of you, it's time to finish the new hut. Everyone to section 4!"  
Jessi looked one last time at Let'cha, then left him scowling at her to seek out her friends. The trio then headed to section 4, where pulleys and ropes awaited. The slaves all grabbed hold of a rope and pulled. The tree sided of a slave hut slowly rose off the ground to the old Sermithian chant of Ton! Lon! Om'ba shon! After much pulling, the walls finally met at a point at the top and the older slaves put sealing mixtures along the sides. The door had been previously cut, and there were no windows in a slave hut.  
By this time, the suns had set and it was growing dark. The exhausted slaves lined up to receive their end of the day rations and go to their huts.   
  
  
Shooting through the starry vaccuum unknowingly toward Sermithia was a small starship. It contained only two passengers, both looking intently at the controls.  
"What happened?" inquired a shadowed young man in a black tunic, his piercing blue eyes calmly scanning the flashing warning lights.   
"You don't know? Well, I don't either," came the voice of a young woman through a tan-colored cloak wrapped around her. Her worried green eyes were the only part of her face showing. "Whatever it was must have been loose before, since we pulled out of hyperspace so fast." She tugged nervously on her short golden hair.   
"Good thing we did. Look, there's a small planet in our path. Did you know it was there when you switched to hyperspace?"  
Suddenly all kinds of warning lights flashed across the control panel.   
"Irlida aka," groaned the woman.   
"Head towards that planet. It looks suitable for a crash landing."  
"Crash landing? Oh no."  
The male raised an eyeborw at the hesitant copilot. "Nakita-"  
"Yes, sir. Right away," she sighed. She locked in the coordinates of the planet for future reference, and maneuvered the ship manually. The figure in the black tunic took the copilot's seat and braced himself while Nakita struggled with the controls.  
"Ung… I don't like this," she exclaimed as the ship started to bump around. The noise of warnings blared. "It's getting harder to control. I've lost one- no, two engines. There is something loose on the right wing. We're now entering the planet's atmosphere and losing altitude rapidly. If we're lucky we'll land in that clearing." She tugged at the controls and the ship reluctantly turned towards said clearing. Then came a sputtering noise, and something smelled of smoke.  
"I've lost all engines, and something is burning!" She looked towards the figure in the copilot's seat. "A little help would be nice, sir!" she pleaded.  
"I was waiting for you to ask," he answered, and grabbed the controls. The ship, however, refused to cooperate. It sped towards the clearing on crazy angle; smoke filling the cockpit and the throats of the pilots, choking them. Lower and lower it dropped, both people fighting madly with the stubborn controls, sweat dripping down their foreheads. The smoke filled the cockpit so that even in those close quarters neither of them could see the other. Just as the ship was about to crash into the planet's surface it jerked to a very sudden stop, flinging both figures forward. Then it dropped suddenly, to hit the ground a few feet below. There was a loud bang and both people threw themselves out of the burning wreck and lay gasping and choking on the grass.  
After some time, the woman spoke.  
"Thank you sir."  
"N-no problem," he replied shakily.  
"Oh, you're hurt!" There was a deep gash running down his cheek.  
"Really, I-I'm fine."   
"I'll get you some sterilizer bandages."  
"They were burned in the ship."  
"Oh. Now what?"  
"We find life."  
"On this desert? It's covered with jagged rocks! We were lucky to find this clearing."  
"Do you have a better idea?" he gave her an annoyed look.  
"No sir."  
They walked and walked, finding nothing. Then, finally, a small dot appeared on the horizon.  
"Look Nakita, over there."  
"I see it. Is there life?"  
"Yyyyyes…" the man answered, unsure.  
"Oh! Let's go."  
They hurried towards the tiny dot in the distance. It grew steadily closer, until they arrived at a fairly large hut. The door was open, so they walked in.  
A big man in a fine robe greeted them.  
"Greetings, travelers! How may I help you?"  
"Where are we?"  
"This is the Sermithian slave farm. We sell the finest, healthiest, most educated slaves around."  
"Sermithia," muttered the young man thoughtfully, making a mental note to label the planet when they got back to the ship. Then he caught himself and remembered that there was not ship.   
"Would you like to buy a slave?"  
"We crashed on this planet. We were wondering if you could help us."  
The man looked a bit angry.  
"How about this- you buy a slave, and I'll give you food and shelter while you're here."  
"And a ride out of here."  
"Deal. What are your names, travelers?"  
"We wish to remain anonymous."  
Oh, some sort of outlaws, huh?" the big man asked, his humor restored.  
"Er-"  
"Never mind, friend, the slaves are out back. Go take a look around. Do whatever you wish and ask them anything. I'll send for you when it is time for the evening meal."   
They walked around the 'farm' for a while, watching the slaves hard at work. They were saving the questions for later.   
A girl with blond hair tugged the man's tunic.   
"The Master wants you," said bluntly without looking at him. "It's suppertime." She didn't seem too happy about it. She raised her eyes to theirs. "Just who are you, anyway?" He sensed a lot of suspicion in her tone.  
"That is for us to know, not you."  
"Huh, cause we're just slaves, right?" she said, turning away with her arms crossed in disgust. He was just about to protest when she looked back up. "What happened to your cheek?"  
"We crash landed in this planet."  
"Too bad. This is a lousy planet to crash on. Do you want some first-aid for that?"  
"No, it'll be fine. We're going to be late for the meal."  
"Whatever, then. This way." She led them to the Master's building, chatting along the way. "The Master wants to get rid of me, that's why I'm serving tonight." There was no hint of sorrow, guilt, or glee in her voice, only a little bit of curiosity. "I would like to leave, too," she added with a glance at the strangers.  
The reached the house. The girl led them to a table and they sat on the floor around it. Another girl with light blue skin and dark hair served them drinks. Then the Master entered.  
"Ah, there you are. This fine girl here is Jessi Hamilton. I'm sure you would love to have her around." He gave a wide, false smile. "And this girl here is Lethia To'othu. Wonderful girls." Lethia bowed and Jessi did the same, trying very hard to keep a straight face. As she straitened up she winked at the strangers.  
"Now Jessi, bring out the appetizers," ordered the master.  
Jessi smiled pleasantly, which was very different from normal. "Of course, sir." The Master eyed her suspiciously, but she brought out the food without incident.  
"How do you keep the slaves on the grounds?" asked the man.  
"Slave devices. They try to run, they blow up. It was recently rediscovered. They were commonly used on slaves many years ago. Ah, but that was a more civilized time before the empire, huh? Maybe we will get more civilized now that that old Emperor's dead. That was quite strange, how the Emperor and his right-hand man were killed in the same day, huh? The black- clothed stranger cringed inwardly. "Did you hear they are looking for a new Emperor? Someone specific, but nobody knows exactly who. Got stormtroopers all over the place. Then again, the stormtroopers are looking for a lot of people, outlaw type people, eh?" He apparently thought this was quite funny. The travelers had not heard this information before and took note. As Jessi went to refill the hysterical man's cup, she rolled her eyes. Then the cup slipped from her hands and rolled on the floor, spilling its contents. The Master sighed.   
"Jessi, go get the entertainment."  
Jessi gritted her teeth in mild anger and walked out the door, but not before turning around and declaring, "Her name is Namuhu."   
They ate the appetizers while the Master chatted on and on and Lethia refilled the glasses.  
Finally Jessi returned with Namuhu and went back into the cooking area to get the main course. When she came out, Namuhu was telling one of her exciting stories with much feeling and detail. After they served the food, Jessi and Lethia sat along the wall and listened, enthralled as Namuhu told one of the many stories linked to a terrible battle years before called the Clone Wars.   
During the story, Jessi glanced at the strangers. There was something different about the man then before. She thought hard, then nearly jumped. The cut on his cheek had healed! He turned his head and looked at her She quickly turned her attention back to Namuhu.  
The rest of the evening passed without event. The slaves were dismissed and the strangers were led to where they would sleep. 


	2. Dark Beginnings

*A reminder, suggestions are welcome! And a note: I'm writing this without a lot of description, because I want to keep it relatively short in order to prevent you, the reader, from having to slosh through too much junk. If you want more description, or extra subplot, etc., I could and will put more in :-)*  
  
  
A young girl ran through the dark alleys of Mant Crone, a wraithlike figure in the Fay light from the single moon. Although her eyes were closed tightly, she managed to continue soundlessly, a tiny ghost-ship slipping through the murky Styx.  
In her mind, however the young warrior knew this was not enough. As if to accent her frustration, light suddenly assaulted her eyelids as she mistakenly emerged under a street lamp. Reeling backwards in confusion she slipped on a small pile of refuse. Her elders (there were no "parents" in the Kimiro, or Shadowed People, culture) watched and whispered to each other.  
"What shall we do with her? She either sees nothing or sees all. She does not, or worse, cannot, train her mind to see what happens in shadow like a true Kimiro. Her mind cannot discern that darkness and the light. Another matter is her hair. Kimiro have black hair. Hers is tinted with red."  
"And her temper-"   
"Now now," spoke the eldest. "The child has had a terrible past, which she if fully aware of. I am the only one who knows of this, and cannot tell you. I can tell you, however, that it is a terrible burden to bear for anybody. She is a very special child to carry it so well."  
The girl and taken a wrong turn. She felt light against her eyelids and grew confused.  
"What's wrong, Salmina?" taunted her training partner. "Can't see?"  
Her confusion and frustration morphed into anger in an instant.   
"Shut up," she snapped, and punched him hard on his jaw, making him fall back in pain. Furious tears welled in her eyes. "None of you want me, the misfit. That's apparent," she said. "Perhaps I am not completely trained, but I can make it just fine on my own." She turned and walked into the light where the rest wouldn't follow. Tarah, her other training partner and only friend, ran in front of her to convince her to stay. She winced in the light, but stayed. Salmina turned and gave her a quick hung and whispered "Thank you." Then she turned and kept on walking.  
  
  
  
  
"Where shall we go, sir?"  
"Let's just walk around. On second thought... let's lay low in the plants and watch the workers."  
The strangers moved through the tolani plants silently so as not to be noticed be the slaves. The robed figure held out his hand and parted the stalks just enough to see.  
"...Entertainment! The nerve! With the knowledge that we could easily overpower him in an all-out fight, you think he'd could at least call us by our names."  
"Jessi, please-"  
"Yeah Jessi, she was the entertainment."  
"And also remember, Jessi, that he is our Master. We must listen to him."   
Jessi looked doubtful but gave up the argument.  
"Namuhu, tell the story about Luke Skywalker and Anakin."  
Namuhu laughed softly. "Jessi, I am tired from last night. Besides, you know it by heart."  
Jessi and Lethia looked disappointed. Then Jessi's face changed into a look of curiosity. "You know the two traveler? The one in the black tunic had a deep gash across his cheek when he came. He wouldn't let me bandage it. When I looked at him later in the evening, it was gone!" She turned suddenly as a tolani stalk shook. Her eyes narrowed.  
"We've been spied on this whole time."  
The strangers stepped out of the plants, discovered, the man cursing his clumsiness.  
"Calm down, we weren't doing anything wring." He took a step back as her gray-blue eyes looked into his with a piercing glare.  
"I know who you are," she whispered menacingly. The young man looked at her curiously, and the woman looked amused.   
"Who?" asked Lethia excitedly, her eyes round.  
The man answered before Jessi had a chance to respond. "My name is Luke Skywalker." He glanced around. "Try to keep it quiet, okay?"  
Jessi exploded with excitement. " I knew it! Please oh please take me with you!" She grabbed the front of his tunic and he lost his balance, falling backwards with a slight thud.   
"Hey, ouch! What about your friends? Oof, get off!"  
"Jessi rolled back on her heels, caught off guard with the question. "Oh! Umm..."  
"We'll be fine here," Namuhu said gently. Lethia smiled and nodded. Jessi jumped up and hugged them.  
"You guys are the best!"  
"Hey, I never said that I was going to take you."   
Jessi's face had such look of shocked disappointment that Luke couldn't keep up the pretense for long. "Okay, okay, c'mon then," he said with a gesture.   
"Weeeeeeee!" Jessi let out a whoop and ran ahead to the master's house. Nakita hung back and motioned to Luke.   
"What?" he asked.  
"Are you sure you want this girl? We haven't seen much."  
"I've seen enough."  
Nakita sighed. Leia had been correct when she said this wouldn't be an easy task.  
The arrangements were made, and the three were flown off the planet after tearful farewells from Jessi to her friends. They were taken to Yaven with a bit of "urging" from Luke. Living as a slave had taught Jessi not to ask questions, but she was too excited to ask why.  
The moment they stepped off the ship the hatch closed behind them. Both Luke and Jessi turned in unison with a "hey!" but the ship took off and left them standing there with dark clouds creeping over the tree-tops to the north.  
Luke led the way through the forestry, no sound reaching their ears but their footsteps and the impending storm gripping them with its strange heaviness. Nakita showed no emotion in her walk, she just strode steadily forward. Luke looked a bit uncomfortable. Finally Jessi could stand the suspense no longer.  
"Where are we going? This place is deserted!"  
Luke eyed her suspiciously. "What makes you say that?"   
"Well-" Jessi thought a moment a moment, the question catching her off guard. "Well- I- this place just seems... empty."  
"Have you been on the slave farm, around other people, all your life?"  
"Yes, I have. Why?"  
Luke nodded to himself, leaving the question unanswered.  
The forest ended and they emerged into a clearing. Luke sighed in despair as his feelings were confirmed. Nakita put a hand to her lips in surprise. Jessi realized with a jolt why they had come, and that this was not what they had expected.   
In the center of the clearing lay the charred remains of a dwelling. The ash blowing in the wind told that they were fairly recent.   
"Who were they?" asked Jessi in a hushed voice.  
Pain and concern shown in Luke's face.   
"My sister, Leia Organa Solo and her husband Han. I don't know what happened."  
He had an uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach. Trusting his Jedi senses, he put every nerve on the alert. Immediately he felt Jessi tense beside him.  
"Something's wrong," he said in a low voice. "These ashes are fresh. The Imperials might still be here. Be careful."   
They moved cautiously towards the ruins to look for something -anything- that might tell what happened.   
Luke's nervousness made Jessi nervous also. She kept close to him and Nakita, her eyes darting all over searching for enemies she knew nothing of.  
A twig snapped, and all three heads turned simultaneously in the direction of the sound to see the point of a blaster. Soon they were surrounded by stormtroopers.  
Stay calm, came Luke's message from inside Jessi's head. Jessi did her best to hide her surprise.  
"Don't move!" said one of the stormtroopers. Jessi felt herself pushed against the ground and heard the sound of blaster fire and a hum that was unfamiliar to her. The air was soon filled with ash and Jessi's vision was lost in a gray cloud filled with glowing reds and blues, shadowed figures, and the sounds of struggle.  
Someone grabbed Jessi's clothes and dragged her to the side. She recognized the figure as Nakita's. Just as they were coming out of the gray cloud, she heard a shout from a stoormtrooper and blaster fire hit the ground all around her and Nakita. A scream of desperation escaped her lips, and then a tremendous explosion threw her backwards. She hit something very solid and the word dissolved.   
Luke was caught up in an intense battle against four greatly improved stormtroopers. Two were shooting with blasters; the others were fighting with large, lethal rods. He swung his brilliant lightsaber up, down, across, wherever the initiative took him. He fought defensively, conserving energy, fighting to stay alive.  
He heard a scream and something exploding. The shockwave that came after threw him off his feet. He landed on his back, just hanging on to consciousness. After he had lain still for a few moments to calm his head, he realized it was over. The blast must have wiped out the stormtroopers. As the dust settled he lanced over in the direction of Jessi and Nakita. Jessi was up against a massive tree, unconscious. She was cut up a good deal, but he sensed she would be okay. He did not have the same feeling, however, about the crumpled figure in the other side of the clearing.   
His got up and started to run and felt a sharp pain shoot up his leg to match to match the sick feeling in his stomach. He stumbled and fell to the dirt, bruising his arm. He hurriedly concentrated on the broken bone and the pain diminished enough for him to try again. He struggled back to his feet and limped as fast as he could to the prone form of Nakita. When he reached her he gave a quick examination and his heart rose to his throat. He choked out a gasp, hanging his head in his hands. Poor Nakita. His sister had seen to it that someone made sure that he didn't get into more then he could handle, and she had more then done the job. But now...   
Remembering Jessi, he got up once again and stumbled to where she lay. There would be time later for Nakita. Other then a bad cut in her forehead she seemed to be okay. He tore the hem off her sleeve and wrapped it around her head. Looking around, he realized the stormtroopers lay dead. He sat against a tree and waited for Jessi to revive.   
Jessi slowly opened her eyes then shut them quickly again against the bright light. She felt a searing pain in her head and her hand reached up instinctively. Her fingers felt a piece of material tied around her head. She tried to sit up but felt herself pushed back down by a hand on her chest.   
"Don't get up yet." Her thoughts getting clearer and clearer, she realized it was Luke's voice. She lay back for a few seconds.  
"Can I now?"  
"I give up, can you?"  
"Ugh..." she slowly tried to sit up. The world started to spin. Luke grabbed her shoulders. She felt a warm tingling in her head and the spinning stopped.  
"I'm okay," she mumbled, getting to her feet. She looked around at the dead stormtroopers. "Wha-?"  
"An explosion. Somehow we managed to survive." There seemed to be sorrow in his voice.  
Jessi was puzzled only a second. "Nakita?" she asked gently, suddenly aware of the famous Jedi's fragility.   
Luke nodded gravely.  
Jessi bowed her head to indicate sorrow.  
"Don't lie," Luke reprimanded her sadly.   
Jessi felt a little uncomfortable. "Sorry. I didn't really know her," she admitted.   
"Understood," Luke sighed.  
Jessi felt bad for him. She tried to change the subject. "What now?"  
"First we will have a burial," he said a little more brightly and getting to his feet. "Then we 'borrow' a ship. I don't think these Imperials will find much need for them anymore."   
After a solemn burial, they followed the repulsar-dust back to the stormtroopers. After more scuffling, they obtained a small freighter and took off. Destination: Tatooine. Jessi was thrilled. 


	3. A Journey Unfolds

Hello all u crazy people still reading this! Criticisms are always welcome! ^. ^  
  
At Mos Eisly spaceport they docked their ship and went looking for a place to eat. Jessi was a little nervous, having never seen so many different creatures in one place, so she kept very close to Luke. They ducked into a cantina for something to their empty stomachs.  
Jessi eyed a creature with three eyes coming toward her. She slid a little closer to Luke. The thing didn't look friendly. Jessi tried to staunch her fear and look confident. She took a deep breath, and suddenly felt... something. A certain power she couldn't place. All she knew was that it helped calm her down and she was thankful for that. The alien moved closer and balled a three-fingered "fist" at her. Suddenly it swung towards her head. She threw her arms up instinctively for protection, wishing with all her being that the power she felt would throw that creature away from her. She never thought it would do any good. A crash reached her ears, but no blow came. Hesitantly, she opened her eyes only to see the world blur as she was pulled out of the cantina. Half running, half being pulled by Luke, they rushed down a street, around a corner, then ducked into an entranceway. Thankfully, nobody had followed them.  
Panting, Jessi slowly became aware that Luke, also out of breath, was staring hard at her.   
"What?" she asked, still disoriented from the ordeal.  
"How did you do that?"  
"Do what?"  
"Push the alien into the wall."  
A light came on in Jessi's head, not helping the dizziness. Her eyes grew wide and her mouth dropped open. "I did that?" She paused, then grinned giddily. "Whoa!"  
"Yes. I want to know how. Did you feel anything different?"  
She paused, and then slowly nodded remembering the feeling.  
"Can you get it again?" He asked eagerly. "Try closing your eyes. Relax."  
Jessi closed her eyes. She tried to concentrate, but she was tired. She sat down and leaned against the wall behind them. Soon, in her sleepiness, her mind started to play tricks on her as she tried to focus. Her tired mind slipped from that focus, and feel into the power. Delighted but exhausted, Jessi let herself lie there in the feeling, the... living web, she concluded. She felt motion beside her, and realized she could "see" Luke. She could also see other people if she tried hard enough, but it was much more difficult. If she could only "see" Luke, then what... The answer hit her like a wave of cold water and she sat up with a start. No. It couldn't be. Not her. But yet...  
Luke watched Jessi lost in another world, her back against the building. Her expression suggested that she'd found what she was looking for. He smiled. From what he had seen, she should make a good Jedi. 


	4. Shadowed Meetings

1 year later  
Jessi woke with a start. She replayed the dream in her head, trying to decide if it had any meaning. She arrived to the conclusion that it had. Groaning, she tumbled out of the warm cot and dressed.  
Walking into the dining area, she saw Luke was up and had made her breakfast.  
"'Morning," he said cheerily over a cup of hot chocolate. "You look tired."  
Well duh. Curse perkiness in the mornings.   
"We have to go to Corellia," she mumbled.   
Luke put down his cup and stared at her with an amused expression. "What?"  
"Corellia. We have to go to Corellia."  
He took another sip, still staring at her. "A dream?" he guessed, right as usual. That bugged her sometimes, but she hadn't really expected anything less. "You sure it means something?" he asked. "This trip will interrupt training."  
"Yes, and I know." Missing training was a bad thing?  
Luke simply nodded and took another sip of the steaming liquid.  
  
  
  
A slender hand pushed an equally slender throttle slowly forward, savoring the g's from the feed of power into the voracious engines. The sleek, modified ship Shadow Chaser sped through the black vacuum of space.   
That's me, thought the pilot of the 1-man craft grimly. Chasing shadows.   
At least she was doing well. Another client happy. The man she had help had not even got so much as a parking ticket on his speeding smuggler's craft, she thought with a wry smile. He had paid her well, and she was sure she could find another job in Corellia. As the silent crescent of her destination grew closer, Salmina thumbed the cloaking device to full power. Kimiro preferred to go unnoticed.   
Even outcast Kimiro, spat her mind, anger sparking a dark cloud that settled around her mind.   
She slipped her ship unnoticed onto a relatively sparse area, cursing the lights of the few transports whirring despondently back to their caged lives.  
  
  
Luke led the way down yet another dark, filthy alley. He wasn't about to turn down a vision, but this was getting old and his patience wasn't as infinite as he would have liked.  
"What are we looking for?" he asked for the umpteenth time. He knew what the answer would be.  
"I don't know," answered Jessi impatiently.  
Luke made a mental note for exercises in patience; for himself as well as his eager apprentice. She would hate them, but it was necessary. He reached out yet again with the Force, trying to locate something that might be trouble. He certainly found it.  
"Ssh," he whispered to Jessi. "Stormtroopers."  
White armor came around a corner. It spotted the duo and fired the blaster in its hand. Through the Force, Luke was told to get out of there, even though he appeared to have the advantage.  
"Run," he murmured to Jessi, who had already put herself in fighting stance. In her hands she held her new, brilliant green lightsaber. Eagerness vibrated from her, then quickly changed to confusion and annoyance.   
"What?! Are you nuts?" she shouted, but followed him anyway.  
They sprinted down passageways and around corners to make sure they would lose the stormtroopers. Jessi ran ahead, and Luke covered their backs.  
As Jessi turned a corner, she ran smack into something solid. Whatever it was swiftly recovered and pulled Jessi's arms back, pushing her face-down against the dirty street. She heard Luke's boots on the cement, then his voice.  
"Let her go."  
She tuned her head just enough to see a young girl with blackish-red hair jaggedly cut at chin length. Angry dark eyes and loose-fitting black clothes sharply contrasted her pale skin. She was amazingly strong for her size. The girl twisted Jessi's arms back and sat on them, making getting up impossible. As a feeling of fear grew in her stomach, she recognized the cold unfriendly barrel of a blaster against her temple.  
"Don't move, Imperial scum, or I'll fire."   
  
  
Ranash Koshan allowed a thin smile to stretch his lips, deepening the wrinkles on his old face and complementing his trim graying hair to emphasize his stern look. The click of military boots on the marble floor caused him to turn, swirling his long black cloak and revealing its blood-red lining. The two bodyguards beside him, dressed in the bloodred of the Emperor's guards, had already turned. He desperately hoped that this new arrival would not notice that his smile was false.   
"Vespash. How good to see you again." He clasped his older brother's weathered hand firmly in his own. The man whose hand he shook was, in appearances, a taller, stronger, more handsome version of himself, despite the fact that Ranash was the younger.   
Vespash smiled cockily, charisma, accentuated by the extra frills and garnishes on his own red-lined cloak and black suit, radiating from him like heat from a roaring furnace. He had two guards, also the Emperor's own, showing that the brothers were of equal rank, but Ranash knew that his brother held a monopoly on the ego market.  
"Ranash. I am honored you decided to join me on this project."  
"The honor is mine, Vespash."  
"I had almost thought that you would turn me down. I am glad to see that you have changed your mind."  
Ranash bit back his frustration. His dear brother had strong-armed him into joining the project. A nervous stormtrooper had shown up at his apartment one day and informed him of a notorious band of pirates invading his sector, scourging for scrap metal and spices. Coincidentally, Vespash announced his intentions the very next day. Ranash was politely informed that he would, on his own free will, join Vespash in his scheme and in return his brother would send one of his fleets over to subdue the dangerous band. Ranash had no choice but to accept this "generous" offer, his fleets being occupied by the rebels in his sector. Fighting the rebels, another resource-eating business he was taking off his brother's shoulders. And they had started out so equal, like... well, like brothers.  
They had risen to power together, the two ambitious underdogs struggling to clean the corridors of the Senate chambers. Fortunately an officer noticed the boy's potential when they cornered a spy in the twisting corridors. When their parents abandoned them, the brothers were only the ages of 19 and 26, but they had already worked their way into the corrupted Republic's favor and they were each commanding small fleets with unusual skill. Despite age and consequentially prejudice against them they fought hard and climbed nearly to the top of the ladder. Vespash, being significantly older than Ranash, had more power and used it more than a few times to boost his brother up with him, but they vowed they would aid each other in their struggle to the top. To their delight, Palpatine took a special interest in them and aided their advance into a solid superiority. The Empire's defeat at the second Death Star and the Emperor's death was just the springboard they needed to leap the remaining distance. Silently they grabbed the reigns of the crumbling Empire and vowed to run it together, as equals. Ranash should have been more aware of the dept that he owed Vespash, the greater power that his older brother held, and the corruption of office. He should have listened to the nagging doubts. But he was younger and naïve and blinded by the love and respect he still held for his older sibling. So when they divided up the Empire, Vespash received the most wealth. No matter how many favors Ranash gave to his brother, Vespash always found a way to keep the scales tipped toward himself and left Ranash slipping more and more into dependence on him. And so they remained in a silent, barely perceptible sub-war, the ever-tangling invisible strings holding the remnants of the Empire together.  
"So, little brother, I suppose you recieved my plans in their entirety."  
"I do. Not only have I gone through them, but I've found a few weaknesses and discovered solutions for them. My strike teams are also training extra-hard."  
"You haven't-"  
"Don't worry, they think they are training for an attack on the Rebellion, which is also true so there will be no slip-ups."  
"Excellent. Now we have only to work out the details. The reason I am here, of course."  
"Of course. I had my office swept only minutes ago so it would have optimum security upon your arrival. This way, brother." Ranash gestured toward the open door to his left and followed Vespash's confident lead as their guards left them to patrol the surrounding corridors.  
All right, I'll play your game for now. But sometime soon I'm going to get my chance, and you'll see that I have learned from these years. I have learned well.  
  
  
  
Luke stood in the shadow and took in the scene for a couple of seconds, a bit surprised that Jessi could so easily be forced down. He sensed deep fear and anger burning like hot coals in this young, dark girl. After the girl pulled a blaster on Jessi he stepped out of the shadow and called the blaster to his own hand. Trying to rid all signs of surprise from his voice, he spoke slowly. "That's enough."  
The girl looked back at him, startled. Alert black eyes scanned him briefly, sucking in his image like black holes, then came to rest on the blaster. Her pale face went even whiter and her eyes grew round. She shot one glance at Jessi and sprang to her feet to fade into the shadow against the wall. Fortunately, Luke and Jessi could still sense where she was through the Force.   
"Get away," the girl spat through frightened breaths and clenched teeth. "Get away. You won't get me alive. I won't go!"  
Luke extended his hand as a gesture of friendliness, but the girl did not take it as such. She acted fast. Before he realized what was happening his eyes were flooded with intense light, piercing temporary blindness into him. When he regained his sight and his senses, the girl was gone. A look towards his disoriented apprentice told him she had fared no better.  
"Who was that?" she asked, stunned.  
"I think she's a Kimiro. They are people who thrive from shadow. Most have talents in many areas. They travel from planet to planet looking for employers. They are very trustworthy and loyal help. If they are paid enough. I'll bet almost anything that that one's only partially Kimiro and an outcast."  
"Why?"  
"I sensed fear and anger. Kimiro are usually very confident, almost cocky or vain. She also had reddish hair instead of jet-black." He thought a moment. "I'm guessing that it isn't artificial. Their hair is a trademark of the Kimiro. It must be caused by genetic altering. Someone really wants her hidden. Another reason is this: she had a light. A true Kimiro can only see through shadow. Being people of darkness, light hurts them." He paused, thinking. "She's who we're looking for, isn't she?"  
Jessi nodded. "But we're not finished here yet," she answered, staring into the darkness where the girl had stood a moment earlier. 


	5. Blessed Reunions?

Salmina shot through they alleys, driven faster by her burning anger. Those Imperials would pay one day. She knew what they had done to her, and she could handle them. But Jedi? How long could she keep running? Jedi were ancient allies with the Kimiro. As each of the peoples grew less in number, each had forgotten about the alliance, or assumed the other race dead. She had certainly thought that the Jedi were dead.  
Her legs grew weak and she slowed then stopped, panting. There was someone up ahead. It sounded like the slow, heavy footsteps of a tired and depressed man- a human man. It sounded like business. She crept up beside him, startling him.  
"Who are you, and what do you want?" He asked in a gruff voice.  
"I am here to help you in return for your help." The Kimiro opening line.  
"I-I need to find my wife." Ahh, thought Salmina. Bingo. This she could do.  
"I am a Kimiro, well trained in many areas. I can help you." Another well-used Kimiro line. The man turned. In the dim illumination from the lights that filtered down this far, she saw a scraggy, forlorn figure. He moved like someone who had just made best friends with a few too many bottles. She was granted a blank stare for her troubles.  
"Look, I'm sure I can help you find your wife. All I want is food and shelter while I am with you, and an additional charge for each day I am away searching."  
Finally something seemed to catch in the man's mind. "I've heard of your kind. Can you pilot a ship?"  
"Yes." The man sighed heavily.  
"Okay, you've got a deal. I have a temporary place up this way. About your job: I need you to find my wife. Her name is Leia Organa Solo."  
  
  
Some days later, Luke and Jessi were once again scanning the many-leveled streets. Jessi took the lead, chatting cheerily about the slave farm after Luke made the mistake of asking.  
"... They're like family after a while. Even the mean ones." She sighed. "Namuhu was like a mom to me, and the Master... well... kinda like a father I guess. Do you remember your fa-" She caught herself mid-word. She felt Luke draw back and gave herself a virtual slap on the wrist for being so careless. She opened her mouth to attempt to repair the damage when a bright light shone in her face and an unfamiliar voice called out.  
"Who's there?"  
She heard Luke laugh lightly behind her. "Hey, point that light somewhere else!" The light came down and shone against the filthy street.  
"Luke?! Is that you?"  
Jessi could feel delight in seeing an old friend radiating from Luke. But what friend?  
"Jessi, this is an old friend of mine, Han Solo. Han, this is Jessi Hamilton, my apprentice."  
"No way! Man, too much has been happening lately."  
Luke nodded. "I saw your house."  
Han looked down uncomfortably. "Yeah, well... c'mon, I'll show you my temporary place. I'm glad you showed up, I need your help with something."  
They walked a while, each filling the other in on what had happened since they parted. Finally they came to a beaten old shack.  
"It's not the nicest place," said Han apologetically, "but it serves it's purpose. Uh, I'd better go in first. I have a visitor with whom I left explicit orders to protect the place." He opened the door and called a hello. A furry face followed by a huge furry body suddenly appearing at the doorway made Jessi jump.   
"That's only Chewbacca. He won't hurt you as long as you're with me," he told Jessi. "He's not my visitor, by the way."  
Chewie greeted Luke with a delighted roar.  
"Good to see you again," replied Luke. He nudged Jessi.  
"Um, hi," Jessi said nervously.   
Chewie roared back a friendly greeting.  
As they entered the small house, a figure stepped out of the doorway. Jessi and Luke found themselves looking into a familiar pale face framed with red-black hair, her red lips turned down in a scowl. 


	6. Fruitless Searches

She muttered something obviously tactless in an unfamiliar language. Han stepped in.  
"Luke and Jessi, this is Salmina. I've hired her to find Leia. Salmina, this is Luke Skywalker, Jedi Master, and Jessi Hamilton his apprentice."  
Jessi gave an embarrassed grin, remembering how this younger girl, who was not even a Jedi, had tackled her to the ground. Luke nodded hello, at a loss of what to say in these circumstances. She continued staring at them through narrowed eyes.   
Jessi felt it had gone on long enough. She stepped forward. "I suppose that misunderstanding the other day was my fault. I should have watched where I was going. Sorry if we startled you."   
For a moment there was a look of uncertainty in Samina's face. Then she glanced at Luke and it was replaced by the look of determination that they grew to realize was her normal expression.   
"My apologies for what happened. I had thought that... that you were Imperials."  
Han looked baffled. "So you've met?"  
Luke shook his head regretfully. "It was under unfortunate circumstances. I hope, Salmina, that we can be friends."  
Salmina cocked her head in a gesture of uncertainty. A hunted look crept into her dark eyes.  
"Well, how about allies then?"  
"It's just that... you might not... oh all right. Allies." They shook hands. Just as it should be, I guess, thought Salmina.  
"I'm glad you're all getting along," growled Han, "but I've still got a wife to find." He explained the details and the two Jedi agreed to help.  
So began months of planet-hopping. The first problem was a ship, since the Millennium Falcon was gone. He hoped that Leia had taken it along with Luke's droids R2-D2 and C-3PO, who Luke had dropped off for a visit earlier. Salmina reluctantly offered to lend her Shadow Chaser. With a little bit of modification it worked fine despite the cramped conditions.   
During the trip, Salmina grew to have a great respect for the Jedi. She often watched Jessi's and even joined in for the more aerobic parts. The three became inseparable, but it always seemed as though they received no output of thought and feelings from the small, dark member of the trio. It bothered Luke that they couldn't get close to her. He knew she was hiding something, but whenever they asked about it she went into rage that ended in her storming out and not talking to them for the rest of the day. Luke once even expressed his concern to Jessi as to whether she was truly an ally. After a few incidents on different planets, however, she not only proved herself to be a worthy ally, but proved also that she held a deep hatred for Imperials.   
Jessi's training progressed slowly on the trip, but was growing quite competent in using the Force. Luke even found himself feeling proud of her.  
  
Luke lay awake in bed late one night. This was not the first. With a sigh he gave up trying to unravel Salmina's secrets and once again punched his pillow into a more comfortable shape. He closed his eyes and tried for the hundredth time to locate his sister through the Force, scratching yet another mental tally line when it failed. Instead, he always bumped up against a familiar feeling of urgency that grew stronger every with each passing night. He rolled over, shoving his face in the pillow and accidentally knocking his good hand painfully on the wall. This wasn't what they should be doing. He was anxious to find his sister, but this didn't feel right. He rubbed his stinging knuckles as he assessed the time. They'd wasted about four months, standard Coruscant time. Finally he made up his mind to call off the search the next day. Han wouldn't be happy.   
  
  
"Ugh, I hate this planet. It's so small and cold and gray." Jessi wrinkled her nose disgust. "It doesn't even have any industries or anything! It's just a cold, gray, pile of junk."  
Jessi had about summed it up with one blunt statement. So small they almost missed it, the gravity was low and the whole plant's surface looked gray. They were walking down some sort of paved street. It was ornamentally carved, but very gray. It matched the gray, dusty ground around it perfectly. It was impossible to tell what the entire landscape was like because it was so dark.  
Han smiled his lopsided grin. "Could be why it's not marked on the map, kid."  
Luke looked thoughtful. "Still, you'd think someone would have found it before now. But I guess it is so small it's very easy to miss."   
"Oh knock it off. I told you this was our last stop, and I meant it. It should only take a couple of days to scour this chunk of dust. If we don't find her here, you quitters can give up and go home."  
"Han-"  
"And don't lecture me on that Force thingy again." Luke abruptly and wisely snapped his mouth shut at the look in Han's eye. Han stopped suddenly and gazed upward, arms flailing to regain the balance that Jessi had inadvertently thrown off as she bumped into him.  
In front of them was a very large building resembling a temple. From what they could make out there were three carved pillars in the front with extravagant designs. The rest of the domed building was similarly decorated. Han squinted his eyes.   
"Uh-oh, this building looks important. There might be a lot of natives around here. It might me easier if it wasn't so dark."  
Luke turned to Salmina. "Feeling Kimiro-ish enough today to take a look around?"  
"Kimiro-ish?" Both Han and Jessi asked at the same time.   
Salmina ignored them and closed her eyes, trying to mold herself into the shadow. Today her Kimiro skill was working. Why doesn't it always work? She asked herself angrily. As she did so her mind snapped shut. She took a deep breath and tried again. Her mind's eye traveled along what seemed to be a wall for a bit, then hit two pools of energy she was sure were life forms. They were closing in fast.  
She came back to herself to hear Luke, Jessi, and Han arguing over something about the proper use of the name "Kimiro". She opened her mouth to warn them, and to tell them that Luke could say "Kimiro-ish" if he wanted to, when two scaly creatures appeared. They were like lizards standing on their back feet, with long earless heads and pointy tongues. In their three-fingered hands they held spears. Their large red eyes glistened in light that the travelers may have otherwise doubted was there. It was quite clear that the strangers were prisoners. The aliens clicked their jaws and hissed through their pointy a threat to the strangers if they wouldn't comply. Luke nudged Jessi with the Force, knowing this was her forte.   
Jessi nodded and focused on the creature's small brains.  
"We need to leave now, thank you," she said earnestly, her fingers barely moving. No response. Jessi was almost better then Luke when it came to suggesting. If she couldn't do it...  
Suddenly Jessi had an idea. Maybe, just maybe, she could... She thought for a second. Would doing it be brushing the dark side? Rashly, she threw that thought aside.   
Once again she reached out with the Force into the native's brain. She concentrated her focus on a smaller and smaller point, then, with the slightest finger motion...  
The creature fell unconscious to the ground.  
Luke whipped out his lightsaber and the rest of them jumped out of the way. Within moments the group was piling in the Shadow Chaser and taking off. Real fast.  
"I guess we'll never find her. We can't go like this forever," Han admitted despondently.  
"Aw, cheer up Han, maybe she'll find you. Hey, did you see me knock out that lizard thingy?"  
"That was you, kid? Maybe you can teach Luke a thing or two!"  
Luke laughed. "Just spare me the one-on-one demonstration. He turned towards the cockpit. "Salmina, you wouldn't mind dropping us off on Tatooine, would you?"  
"As you wish."  
Han sighed. "After that you're free to go."  
Jessi frowned. "Where will you go, Salmina?"  
"To look for another job."  
Luke was concentrating on a map he held in his lap. Without looking up he said, "You could get better training if you came with us. We could use you on our team."  
Salmina nodded in acknowledgement. After a pause she replied "Thank you." 


	7. Cliff Edge

Approximately 1 year later  
  
Salmina threw herself on wearily on her cot after a long day of battle training. The suns were starting to set. Jessi wasn't the warrior that she could be, even allowing for her strange ability to knock out an opponent without physical damage. It wasn't a skill that was a whole lot of help in a real battle- at least not yet. It took more concentration then she currently possessed in a battle situation. She had a good feel for the lightsaber, she just needed more time and training to hone her skill.  
Just as Salmina closed her eyes she heard unfamiliar voices outside. Luke would see to it as Jessi was away getting supplies, but...  
She crept around the corner and poked her head into the room. Immediately her whole body tensed and her heart jumped to her throat. Stormtroopers. Would they question him, even knowing who he was? Were they really willing to take this that far? The fact that they were here suggested they were, which very bad new for her. She strained her ears to listen.  
"Excuse me sir, for bothering you."  
Salmina allowed herself a scornful grin. The Imperial sounded very nervous.   
"Yes?"  
"Have you seen a girl..."  
She needed to hear no more. She turned and ran out the back entrance into the simmering desert. Hiding would be no problem even on this revealing rock of a planet; she had mapped out several escape routes within a week of their arrival here. As her feet pounded the sand, tears welled in her eyes. Tears of anguish, of fear, of anger, of hate. Why? Why was she cursed with this? Why not someone willing? Someone who liked the empire. Not her. Why couldn't she have just stayed with Luke and Jessi? Why couldn't they all work together like they had, in complete ignorance of who she was and why she hated the Imperials. She tried to push away the tears and feelings, knowing they were the reason she never let on how much of Jessi's training she really could have participated in. Maybe they knew anyway. But they didn't know her secret. If they did, they wouldn't have let her stay with them. If only her abilities were something more... but she knew as she brushed away the tears that it was better that way. For her. For the galaxy. She waved a hand behind her and a weak, mysterious wind wiped away the signs of her passing as events wiped away the kindest era in her life forever.  
  
  
Luke eyed the stormtrooper in the doorway, laughing inwardly at his amateurish nervousness but a little suspicious about his question. "What?"  
"About this high, red-black hair, disguised as a Kimiro."   
Aha, Salmina, thought Luke. So she was in disguise. Had it been for all her life? From what? Somehow he sensed that this was not the time to find out. A glance at the shaking messenger told him that he would never be able to get out the right story anyway.   
The young stormtrooper shifted feet. This guy knew had obviously heard some rumors about the Jedi. Perhaps crazily exaggerated. Not that the truth wouldn't be enough to unnerve an amateur. Maybe his buddies had put him up to this. Maybe he lost a bet. Luke smiled. This would be easy. And perhaps a little fun. He waved a hand.  
"Sorry. Guess you'd better try somewhere else."  
The stormtrooper passed out with a small thud on the ground. A little confused, Luke looked at him. "Hmmm." So nervousness and fear increased the effect that the Force held, on this guy at least. But it increased it in a different way. This stormtrooper's mind had tried to prepare him, but it overdid it so much that when Luke touched his mind, it just shut down. Interesting, not to mention helpful. Luke grinned inwardly and dragged the limp stormtrooper away from the house.  
Suddenly he felt an odd absence. He ran through the house, looking into every room. Empty. He ran outside. Nobody. No footsteps. In the distance he heard the hum of Jessi's landspeeder and felt her anxiety blast against him like a freezing wind.  
"Luke!" she called. "Shadow Chaser's gone!"  
Luke sighed. "So is Salmina."  
The young apprentice parked the landspeeder hard, pelting Luke with a sandstorm. "Sorry. I wonder how she disappeared so fast?"  
Luke stared off into the distance, forgetting to answer. He could sense a whisper of Salmina's presence, but then it was gone. It was almost as if he had been... shut out. Consciously.  
"Um... Luke? What is it?"  
"I think we know even less about that girl then we could ever have guessed."  
Jessi pondered this in silence for a moment. "We're going to find the answers, aren't we?"  
"No."  
"No?"  
"First we have to find the questions."  
  
"What is that on the scanner?"  
"We think it's her ship, sir."  
Ranash smiled grimly. "We've got you now," he whispered. "You can't run: this is your destiny."   
Indeed it would seem as if they were going to catch the small ship frantically trying to escape the tractor beam. Ranash knew that he was just performing one more deed for his brother. Comforting himself with thoughts of ruling as Emperor was the only thing that kept him from starting a chain of events that would end in the announcement of the attempted assassination of Vespash Koshan-and the death of his dear younger brother Ranash.   
So he waited.  
His victim jostled about in the overpowering pull of the star destroyer's tractor beam, unable to break free. Like a fish hooked on a line. Ranash smiled.   
His satisfaction turned to shock, however, when the pilot shot an unexpected torpedo. The tractor beams sucked it up before anyone had a chance to react. Explosions rocked the metallic menace and forced Ranash to brace himself, setting his jaw to keep the surprise off his face. This was supposed to have been simple, but now the pilot was gone.  
"Our scanners tell us that her ship was headed towards the planet Itaruni. Orders, sir?"  
"Itaruni... that names sounds familiar."  
"It is a known refuge for the Rebels, sir. It's considered very wild and dangerous."  
"A known refuge for Rebels? Excellent! We'll enter orbit and then I will accompany a select squad to the planets surface."  
"Sir?"  
"Yes?"  
"Pardon me for asking, but are there any corrections to the orders given about the capture of Skywalker's allies?"  
Oh yes, my extra measures, just to be safe. "No, remind your men that they remain the same."  
"Yes, sir."  
  
Luke relaxed in a seat at the back of a passenger ship. He let himself slip into the Force, trying to make something of the feeling of urgency that grew ever stronger. He was startled by the sense of his sister's presence. At least she was alive. Then he felt another presence. It was weak, but close. It felt almost like... but it couldn't be, could it? If it was her, then that would explain why she'd been so secretive. He wished he'd known sooner. Despite the weakness of her presence, he knew where to look.  
"Jessi."  
The drink carton in front of her exploded. "Oh, you broke my concentration!"  
"I don't think you'll need the fine art of opening a drink carton with the Force anytime real soon."  
"What if we crash and my hands-arms are cut off? How will I drink?"  
"You'll figure something out, I'm sure."  
"Or what if-"  
"Just tell the pilot to set a new course to Itaruni."  
"Why don't you?"  
Luke gave a despairing look. "Jessi, apprentices are supposed to respect their masters. It builds discipline." Jessi raised an eyebrow. Luke threw his arms out in surrender. "Just go tell the pilot. I know where Salmina is."  
"Yes Master."  
  
  
A few days later Jessi and Luke were tramping through thick underbrush in a particularly dangerous part of the jungle. They stepped lightly at the edge of yet another crevice. Jessi curled her lip is disgust.  
"Why do we have to travel across these? It's so hard to keep my balance. What's wrong? You seem awfully- oh!" Jessi slipped for the umpteenth time, nearly falling down the deep chasm. Luke caught her arm and balanced her- again. Jessi was walking closer to the edge than he because of her fear of the abnormally large spiders prowling the walls, and it was a narrow walkway.   
Luke did look tense. He felt tense. "There's just a- a sense of urgency in this search today. Something bad is going to happen if we don't find Salmina soon."  
Suddenly he stopped short. "What was that?"  
Jessi pulled out her lightsaber, ready to ignite it at a moment's notice. The tension hung thick in the air. The sense of danger was so thick it could be cut with a knife.  
As they backed up against the rock wall to their left and away from the chasm a rock fell. Luke ignited his lightsaber and swung it in a wide arch to deflect a blast bolt. Soon there was fire from all sides. Jessi swung wide to deflect a bolt. It hit the walkway behind her and blew away the thin rock. Now they only had a ledge of about five steps wide and ten steps long.   
They both fought hard with their lightsabers, but Jessi lacked experience and soon slipped out of sync. Luke moved closer to protect her. He could feel her exhaustion struggling to regain the smooth motion. The Force guided his arm to deflect a bolt she was about to miss, then led him around again. There were too many; he was growing tired. They had to get out of there. He pushed his blade into the cliff wall. The ground was relatively soft and gave way. Jessi was awkwardly picking off the stormtroopers now, using their own bolts against them. She wouldn't last much longer. He cut out another chunk of ground, forming a small cave. Suddenly the Force warned him of more danger: several bolts coming in from different directions. The Imperials were learning; they were firing simultaneously.   
Desperately Luke pushed the fatigued Jessi into the shelter of the makeshift cave, his mind racing. There was no way he could deflect them all at once. He couldn't avoid getting hit, so he used a different strategy. He swung high to deflect the three coming towards his head down to his waist. As he swung around he felt a fiery bolt pierce his left leg and the other hit the cave wall, followed by a cry of surprise from Jessi he barely heard. The world around him seemed to grow dim as pain, fatigue and concentration wrapped him in his own bubble of reality.   
His leg gave way and as his lightsaber slipped out of his hand his feet slipped off the ledge. The part of his mind still in tune with the here and now knew Jessi couldn't save him, so he used some of his quickly-fading concentration to summon the Force to nudge himself a slightly to the right and kick off an outcropping back up to path level. A sharp pain in his shoulder informed him he had been hit again, but it was all so distant...   
A vision came with the new wave of pain. A person he easily recognized. Someone standing beside the figure, family, but not child... it hit him like a shockwave. He knew. He knew why Salmina had run. He didn't blame her, either. Then it faded, and his grip on the rock was loosening. 


	8. Fall of a Hero

Salmina, buried in the underbrush, watched the battle from just a short distance above, her soul torn two ways. Perhaps she could help them. Perhaps it was in her power. No. She couldn't go back now...  
She saw Luke fall, watched him struggle back up. She watched as the bolt pierced his shoulder. She wanted to cry out; to jump down and grab his arm and pull him up, to use her meager control of the Force to save him. But she just sat there paralyzed with fear and with the conflict tearing her apart. Perhaps it was a shred of loyalty to her heritage that made her pause.   
His blue eyes rose to her dark ones, piercing through her. That glance revealed to her that he knew her secret. Knew what she was. Knew what she had had to do. Knew what she would do. And forgave her. His fingers let go. With a gasp he fell into the gaping chasm.   
A silence fell, cold and empty as death.  
  
Salmina went numb. She knew she would never see him again. She could have saved him. She felt, as if from afar, someone grabbed her roughly and covered her mouth. On instinct she struggled, but only half-consciously.  
"Ha, we've got her, sir!"  
"Excellent work. Do what was planned."  
  
Jessi tore her eyes away from Luke's fall and retreated farther into the cave, digging out the back with her lightsaber. As the remaining stormtroopers regrouped, silence settled in. Apparently they had gotten what they wanted. Battle adrenaline slowly simmered down and the immensity of what had happened hit Jessi. Luke was gone. Her hero, her teacher, her guidance, her Master. As close to a father figure as she had ever had.   
All danger forgotten, she walked out to the edge of the now tiny ledge and stared into the spot he had fallen. The gaping, pitch-black crevice shattered her brave, happy spirit into a million pieces. Numbness crept over her from the shock, and forced her body to remain motionless, a gentle breeze blowing the loose ends in her blond hair. Her subconscious was dimly aware of the hum of her ignited lightsaber at her side; a pinprick of reality at the end of a tunnel of numbness. A wave of anguish swept over her and drowned the last of her joy. She deactivated her weapon with a tiny movement and collapsed to her knees, her eyes still locked on the crevice.   
There she knelt, motionless, as the day wore on. There she knelt, as scorching sunlight heated the rock and made her flesh burn. There she knelt, as the crevice loomed before her, menacing, inverting the light to deathly darkness.  
In the late afternoon, a tiny creature scampered curiously up to Jessi's still figure. It reached out a thin, claw-like leg and touched her arm with a squeak of an inquiry. Quick as lightning her hand flew up and smacked the creature angrily, sending it soaring with a pathetic whimper. She jumped to her feet, horrified at herself.   
Brought back by the creature to all things physical, she wandered around the jungle listlessly. She had nothing to do. She didn't know what she could do. She was alone. Salmina was gone, Luke was gone... she wasn't even a full Jedi yet. Her booted foot caught on a root. She lost her balance and toppled forward into the foliage, cutting her hands and cheek and bruising her face. She got up without a change of expression and kept walking. Her world had died with Luke.   
As darkness was setting in under the canopy of trees she discovered a small abandoned ship. Coming face to face with an eerie skeleton in the cockpit proved it was not actually abandoned. Jessi shrugged off the momentary alarm and dumped the deceased onto the ground. The controls were familiar enough, if a little outdated. Standard Imperial. There was an ample amount of fuel and it started up fine, so Jessi fled the planet. The planet where she had, once again, lost her life. And this time she didn't feel like finding a new one. All she wanted was to escape the sour memories until time erased them: by simple, tentative forgetfulness or by the thorough erasure of death.  
  
  
Three days after that fateful day at Itaruni found her at Akrea, a dusty planet with many small towns. She dropped onto a rotting bench on a street lined with many small, worn buildings. She had stored her lightsaber in a ragged pack belonging to the former occupant of her newly acquired ship, which she hadn't bothered to name. She had no intention of using the Jedi weapon.   
She drew out a dusty cracker from her pack, once again took a bite, and once again spit it out. She had no money to buy anything nutritional, but she figured that was fine because she didn't have any appetite to eat it with. Yawning, Jessi rubbed a dark-ringed, sleep-deprived eye with a thin hand. Passer-bys gave stares of sympathy, pity, curiosity, or just plain disgust. Some offered food she could not eat and some offered clothes or money. These she did accept, only because her old clothes had been torn and dirtied in the battle, and she needed money for fuel.   
A small human child with his mother passed by. The little boy peered curiously at her bag and spotted her lightsaber, his small face lighting up.  
"Are you a Jedi?" he asked excitedly.  
Jessi turned her head. The mother rushed the child along, looking nervous.  
Two human men passed by, talking. "...new Empress sure knows how to put a hold on this galaxy." They both laughed.  
"I'll say. This is a woman that will reason." He tapped his head. "She's smart. Not like that old Emperor."  
"Whassissname... Palpatine? I never liked him much."  
"I know what you mean. I heard the new Empress is pretty nasty. Temper that would frighten a Wookie. Smart, but nasty personality."  
"I like a little spice in a woman..." Their laughter faded off as they got out of hearing range.  
Jessi sighed. What did it matter now? Suddenly she sensed someone standing behind her. The presence was oddly familiar. Whoever it was put a hand on Jessi's shoulder. She did not resist.  
"Are you okay?" I was a kindly young woman's voice.   
Then Jessi knew.  
"No," she replied bluntly. Lying would get her nowhere in this situation. "A friend of mine died. He was shot by stormtroopers-" Her voice wavered.  
"You don't have to tell me if it's too hard."  
"Yes, I do," Jessi said brusquely, trying to hold back emotion.   
"No, really-"  
"He's your brother! Don't you care?" Jessi shouted, leaping off the bench and spinning around to face the woman. Tears were streaming down her face. "You- we looked for you everywhere!" Then she caught herself and lowered her voice. "I'm sorry," she whispered, head lowered. "I shouldn't have shouted at you."  
Leia just stared gaping. A man came striding up- Han. One glance at the sad, pale shell of Jessi and his mouth dropped open.  
"Jessi... Wha-what happened?"   
Jessi stared at him a moment, her mouth clamped shut, trying to control her feeling, her childish impulse...  
She gave up and threw her arms around his neck like a child around her father's, sobbing. "Oh, it was terrible! Salmina- she- she- and then we went- and the stormtroopers- Luke- oh Han, I've lost everything! Everything!"  
Han looked down at the prone figure of Jessi. A different Jessi than he had known; not the energetic, confident, jolly, eager youngster he had met on Corellia. Her clothes were ragged, her skin sickly ashen, her sparkling gray-blue eyes dull. Looking at the broken Jessi, Han realized she truly had lost everything. Or given it up. He stood there awkwardly, not knowing what to do. This was uncharted territory for the rough space pirate.  
Leia pushed the gnawing fear out of her mind and lifted Jessi off the ground. She would get the story later. She had to admit to herself she wasn't ready for the whole story, either. Han knew this girl? How?  
"Come with us," Leia said gently. "We'll get you cleaned up. Then you can rest." She put her arm around Jessi's waist and led the trembling girl down the road. After only a few paces Jessi stumbled and fell to the ground in a dead faint. Han picked her up and carried her. Leia looked into his solemn face.  
"Who is she?"  
"Jessi Hamilton. I-I've never seen her like this. She was so strong."  
A compliment from Han was like Christmas in July. "Something terrible must have happened. How did you meet her?"  
"While we were separated."  
"That's not what I meant. Who introduced you? What was she talking about? She was muttering something about not being finished training while I was helping her up. Is she a rogue pilot or something?"  
"Whoa, one at a time, sweets."  
"Who introduced you?"  
Han did not answer.   
After a long, dusty walk they reached the apartment and set Jessi on a bed. Han collapsed on the soft pallet with a sigh. "You ready for this?"  
"Yes." A sickening feeling grew in the pit of her stomach. He was about to say the words she was dreading. She wasn't, however, going to let on to Han, so she set her jaw and steeled her heart. "Please. I need to know."  
"She was Luke's apprentice."  
So her fears came true. She retreated from the room so Han would not see the tears. 


	9. Calm

"What do you wish of us, your highness?" Ranash rubbed his fingers together nervously behind his back. What was she thinking? It could be anything. He caught the eye of Admiral Vespash on his right and Admiral Kelkish on his left. His brother gave a confident nod. Kelkish let nothing on at all. Ranash was not convinced. He had been around the new Empress a good deal more than his brother, and had a good deal more to do with her... what would the phrase be? He decided to use "rise to power".   
The Empress stood now in her favored position of power: her back to them, staring into the stars. Her stars. Ranash began to sweat. It was times like these where he realized just how dangerous Azulana could be: when she mirrored her predecessor, the evil Palpatine.   
"What do I wish of you? I wish your complete loyalty. I wish your complete obedience. I wish your wisdom exceeded your power. But I realize these all might be difficult for men of your position so early. Am I correct?"  
Ranash was taken aback by this trap. He decided to let Vespash or Kelkish tackle this one.  
"Your Highness is extraordinarily insightful in these matters. We try to hold to your high standards as best we can."  
"No!" The Empress spun around, her eyes flaming. "You will not try, you will do! You will be entirely loyal, as you have been, have you not?"  
Brown eyes glowed amber in her reprimand. Sweat dripped down the back of Ranash's neck. They had been so proud of those eyes, but now he wondered whether it had been a wise decision to grant her such charismatic power. Now she was testing them. Could she possibly know what they were up to? A glance at his brother showed him Vespash was faring little better.  
"Your Majesty, we have been nothing but loyal to you from the day you came to power- and before that." A flat-out lie.   
Her eyes narrowed, then shifted to the younger. "I want reports on you progress-"  
"I had sent you mine only a few days ago, Empress." Ranash knew that his brother was simply falling deeper into the hole he was digging by his polite objections and flattery.  
"I want a personal report."  
Ranash. You have not spoken yet. How is your Jedi elimination project going?"  
"Not as well as I had hoped, Your Highness," he admitted. Lying would get him nowhere. "I did manage to destroy the Jedi Master, but his apprentice continues to elude us."  
"A child can hide better than an adult. If you managed to destroy the teacher so easily, perhaps these Jedi aren't as formidable as you made out?"  
He looked down. "Perhaps I did overestimate them, but I believe it was dumb luck and favorable circumstances that allowed for the ease of his destruction. I will try not to make that mistake again, but I do not believe it was a mistake. I believe the apprentice is dangerous."  
"Then catch this apprentice and don't waste my time! Now Kelkish, how is your Rebel problem coming along?"  
"My Intelligence reports that the Rebels have disappeared from view entirely. I suspect that this is due to the fall of the Jedi Master, but my team is keeping their eyes open."  
"No requests?"   
"None, Your Majesty."  
She turned on the eldest now. "Vespash."  
"Highness?"  
"How are your negotiations with your potential rebel sector?"  
"Not as well as I had hoped, Highness."  
She looked at him sharply. The fire in her eyes, almost quenched after the favorable discussion with Kelkish, began to ignite once again. "Have they turned aggressive?"  
"I'm afraid it is leaning towards that."  
"And your men were not the instigators in the slightest, indirect way?"  
Ranash suppressed a smile. Vespash had not wanted to negotiate, his charges having insufficient firepower to present any serious threat. Reluctantly Vespash had given them a chance to negotiate, but he had not overly pressed the issue, and had instructed his men to 'secretly' destroy opposition. The government had caught wind of this and had begun to gear their economy to war. "Leaning towards" war was a bit of an understatement, and Vespash had a larger hand in it than he would ever admit to the Empress.  
"No, your Majesty," he lied smoothly. He was, after all, a step above this woman. He had, in his own mind, made her everything she was. Ranash knew how literally that phrase could be used in this situation, but it was he and not Vespash who had done most of the "making."  
The Empress turned away from him. "Are you certain? You did everything you could to keep peace?"  
"Yes."  
"I don't believe you." She whipped around, turning a wave of fury on the poor Admiral. "You lie!"  
Vespash began to sweat.  
Her expression turned icy. "I cannot have subjects who try to manipulate me." A gloved hand disappeared into her gown. "Now you will pay the price for your treachery."   
Swifter then the wind she whirled around and held a tiny pistol to Vespash's horrified form. Within the space of a second he lay on the marble, dead.   
Kelkish pressed a fist to his heart. Ranash could not have spoken if the cold Empress had ordered him. But she did not. She simply slipped the weapon back into her gown with professional indifference.  
"I want all treacherous hearts to take this as a warning! I will not be controlled! Admiral Ranash, because of your emotional distress over your brother's demise, I temporarily give all of the late Vespash's control to Admiral Kelkish."  
Ranash's mind clouded with a gripping terror. Did she know he was in league with Vespash? No, she couldn't have. But the icy cloud would not release his thoughts. His knees threatened to give way.  
"I suspected that his allegiance was not to me." She told them. "I simply needed to wait until his actions condemned him." She flashed a cold glance in Ranash's direction. "I always find out. Traitorous feelins always betray the bearer. Always."  
With a wave of a gloved hand she dismissed them. Kelkish allowed Ranash to stumble out first, more of an escape than an exit.  
Once out of sight he leaned heavily against a wall, breathing hard and regaining his composure. The Empress was much better at this game then he bargained for. He was, quite possibly, in deep trouble.  
  
  
Out of the black oblivion came a person. Luke. Jessi could se only the back of him, but she had no doubts who it was. He was running; running towards someone in the distance. Jessi involuntarily moved with him, even thought she had nothing to move. As the figure in the distance grew closer she saw it was Salmina, gesturing frantically for help. Luke was almost to her when he stumbled. As he fell he reached his hand out to her. She could only watch with shock etched on her face. Luke threw something and disappeared, leaving only Salmina standing in the blackness. Jessi started to walk to her, but just as she took a step a giant artificial hand came down and grabbed her, covering her whole body as she screamed for help. Then she was gone. Jessi was thinking dimly that Luke had a cybernetic hand when she became aware of a pressure on her shoulder. Panic started to creep into her heart when she realized she could not wake up. Why couldn't she? Then again, did she have to? Did it really matter whether she ever woke up or not? She remembered Luke reaching to Salmina and it struck her that he wasn't reaching out for her help, he was reaching to help her. There was a glimmer in the blackness. The object Luke had thrown. His lightsaber. The universal symbol of a Jedi. Jessi's had to make a decision, and fast. The lightsaber was moving away. She could use the Force to grab it and accept becoming a Jedi. But you're not fully trained, you're not ready, her mind told her. There are too many things you do not know. You will have to learn everything on her own. Accepting would mean risks, experiments, maybe even the Dark Side. Not only that, but fulfilling Luke's wish to find Salmina. She wasn't ready. She should just let it pass, and live her life like a normal human being. But then she remembered Luke's pleading eyes, and for a second felt his mind touch her. In that brief instant she realized she wouldn't be completely alone. He would stay in spirit as long as he could.  
She raised her arm slowly and once again let herself go in the flow of the Force. It seemed stronger. She felt Luke's triumphant presence and could almost see his excited face coaxing her on and encouraging her. She brought the lightsaber to her hand and enclosed her fingers around the handle. She might be unsteady, and it would be tough, but she would try. For Salmina, for Luke, for the galaxy she would try. The Jedi would not die out just yet.  
  
Muffled and distant sounds reached her from her body's ears. She had to get back. She felt pressure on her face some distance away, and concentrated on the sensation. Slowly she pulled herself back into her body, using the Force to help her along. She opened her eyes and blinked in the bright light. Leia and Han were standing over her looking both anxious and relieved.  
"Hi," she murmured. "I'm so hungry I could eat a bantha." She tried to raise a finger in the air, found herself too weak, and lifted it with the Force instead. "Waiter, get me something to eat."   
Leia sighed. "Oh thank goodness, it almost killed me not knowing if you would wake up or not."  
Han grinned. "Welcome back kid, and if you ever do that to us again I'll fetch my blaster rifle and save us all that worry." 


	10. Rule with a Steel Fist

The Empress strode through the cavernous circular room where her throne stood. The walls were transparent, showing millions of stars, and curved upward from the black swirled marble floor in a graceful sweep to come to a point.   
Her blue eyes scanned the star systems yet again, and her cybernetic right hand pushed back her silky brown hair. I was cut short in the front and constantly got in her face. Gritting her teeth, she touched the fine glove lightly to her forehead and assumed that it had done the job. She had been informed by her top officials, the Koshan brothers, that she had been injured in a battle. In an explosion involving fuel tanks the nerves of her left hand had been badly damaged and she had lost her right. There was a painful scar on the back of her skull a little above the neck. She had been informed that something had hit her, resulting in amnesia. They assured her that she had acted most bravely.  
That was what bothered her; she would never know. She could remember only shadows of her life. Small, ghost-memories of battle. Faded images of laser fire, elusive feelings of chaos-no. That wasn't right at all. Chaos, noises, that seemed wrong. But yet they also seemed part of the memories. The frustrating, taunting shreds of important events that her subconscious would not yield to her-The intercom on the door behind her blared a guard's voice.   
"Admiral Ranash Koshan to see you, your Majesty."   
Admiral, for political sake. At her vulnerable state he and his brother had more power than this aid could know. She clasped her hands, what was left of them, behind her back without turning. "Send him in."  
The Admiral strolled in, seeing first the great Empress in the center of the room. She stood there for a bit so he did also. She waited a moment before turning, her long black gown sweeping on the marble and her bare feet gliding noiselessly. Ranash bowed low.  
"Your Highness, I have an issue I wish to address with you." He looked at her admiringly, thinking that she was as beautiful and regal as Palpatine was ugly and fierce. They both, however, had the same composure and powerful presence that was necessary for a monarch.  
"Yes, Admiral?"  
"It's, ah, just a minor problem."  
"Get on with it."  
"The Jedi, my Empress."  
Pause.  
"Yes? Admiral, I don't appreciate your hesitation. You make me impatient. Perhaps you don't like your position?"  
She would do it, too. Nay, not a monarch for this Empire-a deity. "The Jedi will test your rule. They are formidable opponents."  
She thought a moment. "Can we get these Jedi on our side?"  
"Not a chance. They will destroy us."  
"How many are there?"  
The question he had hoped she would not ask. "As far as we know, one." He saw her eyes narrow. "But there may be more hiding, and one do a lot of damage," he added hastily. "We should rid this empire of them before it is too late."  
"Are you absolutely certain we cannot beat them once they attack? If we can it would prove my worthiness to the throne and discourage rebellion." She looked piercingly at him.  
"No, your majesty. It would be too big a risk."  
A moment of thought, then she smiled.   
"Understood, Admiral. I will not take the chance. You may kill them, for that is what you wish, is it not? However," she added, once again piercing him with her gaze, "If I find any of your information untrue or exaggerated…"  
"You will not, Your Majesty."  
"Good. Keep it so. You are free to go."  
A smile spread across Ranash's tense face as he left. She was becoming increasingly difficult to negotiate with, but he had gotten what he came for. Now he could spread the word of Luke Skywalker's destruction and eliminate his young apprentice. An effective display of power. Excellent.  
  
  
"We should wake her up, she needs to eat."  
"You're right. Then maybe we can get the whole story." Leia gently brushed Jessi's face, then shook her shoulder just as gently. Getting no response she shook a little harder until finally Jessi awoke, blinking.  
"Mmm…?"  
"You need to eat something before you starve," said Leia severely, looking straight into the tired eyes. Jessi averted her gaze.   
Leia got up and fetched some soup. Jessi looked at it dully for a moment then shifted her gaze to the utensil Leia held before her. With a little sleep the initial shock had begun to wear off, leaving only exhaustion and weakness so severe Jessi could not even lift her arm even if she had had the will to do so. Leia spooned the steaming liquid slowly into Jessi's mouth.   
When she was finished she decided it was time to ask about what had happened. She told her doubtful mind that Jessi was okay now and could take the questions.  
"Are-were-you really by brother's apprentice?"  
Tears came to Jessi's eyes as she nodded.  
So far so good. Leia took a breath and decided to plunge right in. "Can you tell me how you… were separated from him?" That was definitely the wrong question. Jessi put her hand to her face with an anguished gasp. Leia would get nothing more from her so she let the girl sleep. 


	11. Last of the Jedi

Leia awoke in a cold sweat, the images of her brother fading from her troubled mind. Luke Skywalker, rebel hero, Jedi Master. A fresh wave of anguish welled up insider her. Han was sound asleep beside her. She didn't want to wake him, but she needed someone to talk to...  
There was a metallic clang in the alley outside the house that made Leia jump. What was it? She got slowly out of bed and stepped cautiously outside.  
The air was cool and the sound of a few scattered night creatures drifted to her ears. A shuffling came from the darkness to the left accompanied by the sound of metal on metal. Leia struggled to quiet her fears, hoping it wasn't some lethal animal. Taking a deep breath, she rook a step forward-  
"It's just me."  
Leia jumped. "Jessi. What are you doing out here?"  
"Making something."  
Leia strained her eyes in the darkness. "What is it? How do you see out here?"  
"I don't need to see."  
Leia pondered this for a moment. "Does this mean-"  
"Yeah. Back to, well, self-training. Ah, that should do it!"  
"So what exactly is it you have been making these past few nights?"  
In response she heard a click followed by a soft hum.   
"Yes!" Jessi exclaimed softly. "Now, let's see if it works."  
With a snap-hiss the blue-green of Jessi's lightsaber lit up the alley walls and reflected off something jagged and spherical. As Jessi brought her lightsaber up it hovered into the air above her head.   
"Okay... go!" said Jessi as she dropped into a fighting stance. Leia realized what it was: a remote. Not exactly the traditional idea, but it seemed to work. Her thought was interrupted by a flurry of laser fire from the remote and a startled cry from Jessi. Apparently the laser fire hurt more than Jessi had expected. She swung the lightsaber all over as if swatting pesky super-flies. She pushed herself to the limit of her abilites, but it wasn't anywhere near fast enough. The thing bobbed up and down, back and forth, shooting bolts every direction. After only a few attempts to block the bolts Jessi took off down the all to short alley opposite from Leia, anxiously shouting, "Stop! Er, halt! HALT!" The remote continued going berserk, slowly and jaggedly making it's way after Jessi. It narrowly missed Han, had come out of the house to see what was going on. He shouted angrily and shot at it with his blaster, but it was too small and quick.   
Leia grabbed a piece of scrap metal lying close by and threw it to Jessi, who used it to shield the bolts. She took a deep breath and again said, "Halt". This time it stopped and floated gently to the ground. Jessi flicked off her lightsaber and collapsed on the ground, panting from exertion. The blackness lit up with a glowstick Han had brought. It illuminated his amused expression.  
"Is that supposed to do that?"  
"Oh, I don't believe so," replied a prissy voice from behind Jessi. "I have a diagram of one of the more traditional models in my databank."  
Jessi spun around, activating her lightsaber. The light shone on two metallic figures, one tall and one short. Leia recognized them immediately.  
"What do you want, droid?" Jessi asked wearily. "If you want trouble..." She waved the lightsaber in front of its face.  
"Wait, Jessi! I know these droids."  
"Oh! Princess Leia! Thank goodness, I have terrible news and I must speak to Master Luke!" The droid's metallic voice faded into an awkward silence. Han finally spoke.  
"Goldenrod, this is Jessi Hamilton. You'll answer to her now. Whatever you need to say you can say to her. You too, R2."  
"What?! Who are these droids?"  
"I'm afraid I don't understand, sir. R2, whatever is the matter?" R2 whistled a response.  
Jessi crossed her arms impatiently. "Come on somebody, who are these droids?" Leia had to smile at Jessi's confusion.   
"This tall one is C-3PO-"  
"I am C-3PO, human-cyborg relations-"  
Leia continued. "This here is R2-D2, an R2 unit." R2 beeped worriedly.  
Jessi put her hand to her face in mock surprise. "No! You mean to tell me that R2-D2 is an R2 unit? I never would have guessed."  
"I am programmed to know over-"  
"Shut up, goldenrod." Han turned to Jessi. "Be careful, when you get him started he doesn't stop. What is wrong with this droid!"  
"Why, R2 is under the impression that something terrible as happened to Master Luke," 3PO replied. "Please correct him, Princess Leia."  
Jessi stared at the ground. "I've been so selfish..."  
"Listen, goldenrod, there really isn't anything to correct him about," Han said sternly.   
"My goodness, you can't mean-oh dear, oh dear, what a terrible time for me to give this news!"  
"What is it?" Jessi asked curiously.  
"You must have heard of the Empress-" Han scowled and muttered something "-well, she has ordered all of the Jedi be captured!"  
Jessi put her hand out to her sides palm up in a helpless gesture. "Well, here's all of the Jedi." 


	12. Secrets Revealed

Approximately one year later  
  
  
  
"Admiral."  
"Yes, your majesty?" replied the old man with a military bow.  
"I gave you an order to find the Jedi and get rid of them! Half a year has passed and you do not even have one!" Her eyes burned with fury, and Admiral Ranash nearly smiled. Those eyes were the pride of his engineers and the undoing of the foes and underlings of the Empire.  
"Give me more time, you greatness. I will-" his comm beeped. "What is it? He asked agitatedly. His face paled. "What?" This would not be good for his reputation.   
"What is it, Ranash?" the Empress asked, her eyes narrowed.  
"A-a Jedi, your majesty. She wants to see you," His stomach twisted in fear. He braced himself for her response.  
"I will deal with you later," she icily replied after a moment's thought. "Let her in. Bring her to me. Here."  
Ranash quickly left the room. This was no time to argue with Azulana, but his light, swirling head and twisting stomach told him that the Empress had just made her first mistake. Or perhaps he had. He desperately hoped that they would both live to apologize.   
  
  
Jessi walked quickly through the halls, her sharp gray-blue eyes on the lookout for trouble, her improved yet far from perfected Force powers ready to alter a mind or render a guard unconscious. That was one skill that she had not overlooked in her self-training. She wore black pants, high boots, a black shirt, and black tunic like her old master's. Her blond hair was tied in a ponytail as always, a few loose strands brushing her face. There was sureness in her step that she wished she felt in her heart. There was no way of knowing what she was up against. Pausing to use a few Jedi calming techniques Luke had taught her she felt his spirit touch her mind with reassurance. A memory flashed through her head of the time in the cantina where she had knocked over the alien. Strengthened, she walked on.  
At the end of the long hallway was a portal. It opened in front of her and she walked into the cavernous room. With awe she gazed at the elegance and beauty. In the center of the room were a table and a chair. In the chair sat the beautiful and regal Empress Azulana, ruler of the imperial planets and their people. Jessi stepped forward.  
"I have been expecting you, Jedi."  
"I know."  
"You are foolish to just walk in here. I don't think you quite understand what makes me powerful. By killing you like this, I will display my power. No one will oppose." She stood up and walked to the front of the table. She slipped a blaster out of her gown with a gloved hand and raised it. Jessi felt through the Force the absence of blood and life in the hand and realized it was cybernetic. Well, at least I know I'm in the right place, she thought as she pulled out her lightsaber and ignited it. She easily deflected the bolt. Azulana shot again and again, each time the bolt ending up in the marble floor. Now her temper started to rise.  
"All right. Enough games. Now see my true power!"  
Suddenly the air around Jessi tightened, crushing her like a cold hand. She pushed back with the Force and found that she was pitting it against itself. The Empress had control over the dark side! There was not much power in her so the dark side had little hold on her will and soul, but it was sufficient to use in combat. Jessi ducked and rolled away from her, pushing out with the Force, temporarily throwing off the empress's concentration. The ruler's eyes blazed with cold fury, but beneath that Jessi sensed something else. Uncertainty, and a hint of inexperience. This was not the true Azulana, what was seen here. There was something more to her, somewhere deep down inside...  
The empress then did something totally unexpected. She took a round, flat object out of a pocket in her gown and threw it at Jessi's head. Jessi ducked, confused at the inelegant, completely useless gesture. This action proved foolish. That moment of confusion was all Azulana needed. She called the lightsaber to her, breaking Jessi's grip while her mind was somewhere else. With a cry she ran at Jessi, who was startled at this all-out attack. Jessi was back at the cantina, protecting herself from the alien. With a Force blast she drove Azulana back, hard. The lightsaber flew out of her hand as the back of her head caught the edge of the table just above her neck with a sickening thud. Jessi called her lightsaber back to her hand. Azulana lay still, her back against the table and her head dropping over. Then her whole body seemed to flicker. Jessi blinked, thinking it was fatigue, but it flickered again, then blinked out. There, where a regal empress had laid just second before, was the figure of a young girl with reddish-black hair and a pale face. The eyes flicked open and the mouth curled into a scornful smile.  
"You fool! You could have killed me while I was down! But now you have lost your chance. I shall call the guards and they will kill you. What are you gaping at?"  
Jessi could scarcely breath. "Sal-Salmina?" she choked, not believing her senses.  
"What are you talking about, fool Jedi? I am Azulana, empress of this extensive empire. Who do you think you are talking to?"  
"N-no!"  
Azulana frowned. "What?"  
Jessi collected her thoughts. "No! You are Salmina. a Kimiro. My friend."  
"You lie."  
Realizing that she truly didn't remember, Jessi looked around for a piece of reflective metal. A piece of the plating on the bottom of the table did fine. She held it in front of the empress's face.  
"Look!" she shouted pleadingly. "Remember! You, me... and Luke."  
Salmina looked, shock filling her face. Jessi sensed a ray of memory pierce her darkened mind.  
"I-I..."  
"You worked against the empire, remember?" We were happy. We were..." tears threatened to appear and her voice wavered. "...inseparable."  
This time remembrance came like a wave, but it was pushed away as Salmina fought back fear and doubt within herself. Her struggle was apparent on her face. She took a deep breath and got expression under control to an icy stare focused at the makeshift mirror. Jessi could sense many other emotions hidden behind it.   
"Leave," she whispered.  
"Salmina, remember..."  
"Leave," she said, her voice rising.  
"Remember... Luke-"   
"Get out!" she screamed, throwing the truth-revealing object at Jessi's figure running out the portal entrance.   
As soon as Jessi was out of sight, the once-regal empress collapsed in the middle of the great room and cried.  
  
  
  
Ranash nervously paced back and forth. What if... His thought was interrupted by him comm.  
"Ranash." Azulana's voice. At least she wasn't dead, but there were worse things.  
"Yes?"  
"See me-right away." Her voice was soft. "Bring Admiral Kelkish." Ranash groaned inwardly. Kelkish was a powerful man in more ways then one. He had no loyalty to the old emperor and therefore would sooner die than betray Azulana. Then again, perhaps he was just being paranoid. He called for Kelkish and they walked to the great room.  
The moment he opened the portal, Ranash's fears were confirmed. There stood the true body of the empress. Her eyes were red and her look was determined. Kelkish drew a sharp breath.  
"Ranash," she said sternly, "you are a liar and an evil man. You are hereby removed from office."  
Ranash could almost physically feel his power slipping away. He made a desperate grab. "You can't do that, they won't listen to you."  
"I hate to burst your considerable bubble, but I got rid of a good deal of the Palpatine-loyal officers when I became the ruler. Most are loyal to me. The ones who aren't shall quickly be removed."  
"B-but..."  
"Grand Admiral Kelkish, see that he is removed from office, as are all his friends." She took out a blaster and held the point to Ranash's head.  
"Now, tell me everything."  
  
  
  
Jessi had not gone far from the palace when she felt Salmina call her back through the Force. She found her in a much better condition than before.   
"Jessi... I'm sorry. I had no idea."  
"I know. It's okay."  
She clenched her fists, her voice saturated with anger. "They brain-washed me, fed me fake memories, and installed a holographic projector in the back of my head. It generated a somewhat tangible holofield around by body that responded to my every move and mood. My maimed-or non-existent-hands couldn't tell the difference. Then Ranash explained everything in lies, and I believed him. He had it all worked out perfectly so he could do anything he wanted and I would be none the wiser."  
Jessi looked around at the numerous star systems. "What are you going to do now?"  
"I don't have a choice. I'll stay in office. This way I have the power to really make a few changes around here. Besides, if I leave they'll find someone worse. But I need your help. Would you please stay here a while? You can train any apprentices you may find in-well, in this room." She gestured to the cavernous space around them. "It's big enough."  
"I could train you."  
"No. My place is as a ruler. Besides," she smiled weakly, "My powers are too weak and I'd turn to the Dark Side in the span of a day anyway. Just help me guide the galaxy."  
"Yes, Empress," Jessi replied jokingly.  
"Not empress, it's so... awkward and unfriendly. It is going to be 'queen' now."  
"It's a pity Luke couldn't be here."   
A pause.  
"I know, I was there. I saw the whole thing."  
"Oh." Another pause.   
"Jessi, this is a new beginning. We can get the galaxy back on its feet, I know it. It won't be easy, but we'll do it."  
Jessi nodded. They both sat quietly, gazing at the stars. "Do you mind if I go get the Solos?" Jessi finally asked.  
"So he found his wife then. That's good. Just hurry back."  
"Of course." Jessi walked toward the portal, sharing Salmina's feeling of relief and triumph. There was a little joy in the young Queen, however, just a feeling of a weight on her shoulders. She did not want to rule, but they both knew that it was her destiny. Remembering something, Jessi turned around.  
"Salmina?"  
"Yes?"  
"There's just one more thing I have to ask. Why did they want you?"  
Salmina just stared at the stars for a long moment, her back towards Jessi. "Promise you won't hate me or judge me."  
"I promise. You've proved yourself."  
Another long pause. Just as Jessi had given up hope of ever getting a reply, Salmina took a deep breath and answered in a hushed voice. Her matter-of-fact response made Jessi turn pale as everything fell into place.  
  
"I am the only grandchild of Emperor Palpatine."  
  
  
The End 


End file.
